Tips on How to Buy and Buy Genuine Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while touring the nation. These are the magnificent handmade sculptures sculpted from stone by the Inuit artists residing in the northern Arctic regions of Canada. While in some of the major Canadian cities (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec City) or other tourist locations popular with global visitors such as Banff, Inuit sculptures will be seen at numerous retail stores and showed at some museums. Because Inuit art has been getting a growing number of worldwide exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian art type at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. As a result, it will be natural for lots of travelers and art collectors to decide that they wish to acquire Inuit sculptures as good mementos for their homes or as really unique presents for others. Assuming that the intent is to acquire an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap traveler replica, the question arises on how does one differentiate the genuine thing from the phonies?
It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to learn later on that it isn't really genuine or perhaps made in Canada. If one is fortunate enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful artwork, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. One would need to be more careful in other places in Canada, specifically in traveler areas where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as t-shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The safest locations to shop for Inuit sculptures to guarantee authenticity are always the trusted galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. Some of these galleries have ads in the city tour guide discovered in hotels.
Credible Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted entirely to Inuit art. These galleries will usually be located in the downtown traveler locations of major cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and possibly Native art but none of the other usual traveler mementos such as postcards or tee shirts . These galleries will have only genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not handle fakes or imitations . Simply to be even more secure, ensure that the piece you have an interest in includes a Canadian federal government Igloo tag licensing that it was handcrafted by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all authentic pieces are signed. Be mindful that an unsigned piece may still be certainly authentic.
Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could go shopping and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from home throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now credible online galleries that likewise specialize in authentic Inuit art. These online galleries are a great alternative for purchasing Inuit art because the rates are typically lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Obviously, like other shopping on the internet, one should beware so when handling an online gallery, make sure that their pieces also include the main Igloo tags to ensure authenticity.
Some traveler shops do carry genuine Inuit art as well as the other touristy keepsakes in order to cater to all types of travelers. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and for that reason should have some weight or mass to it. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of art work and nothing else on the shop racks will look exactly like it.
This can be a real gray location to those unfamiliar with genuine Inuit art. If a seller declares that such as piece is authentic, ask to see the main Igloo tag that comes with it which will have details on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was sculpted. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will always be the greatest priced and are generally kept in a separate ( maybe even locked) shelf within the shop.
Considering that Inuit art has been getting more and more international direct exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian great art type at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. If one is lucky enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their terrific art work, then it can be safely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a local northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Credible Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is dedicated totally to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all authentic Kurt Criter pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have websites so you might go shopping and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.